‘I am determined and confident that I will lead Taiwan, with my team, through a thorough transformation’ said Tsai

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) encouraged Taiwanese expatriates living in the U.S. to become part of the government's reform agenda, during a speech in Houston on August 18, reported CNA.

When speaking about the government's reforms and vision to transform Taiwanese society, Tsai asked for all Taiwanese expatriates to "believe in us and work hard with us."

The comments were made by the president during a 27-hour stopover in Houston, during a dinner attended by more than 1,000 people including U.S. officials and members of Congress. Tsai is en route home from an official state visit to Central and Latin America allies Belize, Honduras, and Paraguay, which began on August 12.

"Taiwan is undergoing change, in a good direction," said Tsai, adding that "I am at the helm of the country, I am determined and confident that I will lead Taiwan, with my team, through a thorough transformation," reported CNA.

Tsai acknowledged the last time she was in Houston, which was during the first year of her government, some people were concerned with the pace of reform. Tsai said that in the time since then, the government has made strong progress, as can be seen by Taiwan's strong growth in exports, stock market and GDP.

Tsai stressed that reform must be undertaken step by step in a steady fashion, and pointed to the recent plan to increase Taiwan's minimum wage as an example.

When speaking about Taiwan-U.S. relations, Tsai acknowledged attendance of U.S. Congress members Eddie Bernice Johnson and Al Green, saying that "Taiwan-U.S. relations will remain strong through your efforts.”

Tsai characterized Taiwan-U.S. relations as more determined than ever, and said that the two nations are cooperating on promoting public health, gender equality and transnational crime.